[GGAC] Robo video chopping-block!

[vedasisme]

I go through all my GG playlists on a regular basis, and after seeing something similar in the Johnny forums (kudos to frcflyingjohnny for taking initiative) I thought I would suggest something similar here, only a little more comprehensive and slow-paced.

I think it would be cool if, every once in a while, we took a notable robo-ky match and analyzed it in the thread. What was the player thinking, what happy accidents happened, what small techniques did he use that helped him out throughout the match? What lengths did he go to in order to get that burst throw? What could have saved him in such-and-such bad situation? Questions like that.

I think that if we got this going, it would be a valuable resource for players of all skill-levels (and perhaps other characters) to learn about the intricacies of robo-mechanics.

With Dr. Stormlocke's blessing, of course.

Tentative thread guidelines:

- When posting, include the post # containing the video you are referring to

- Unrelated robo-banter should remain in the talky-thread

- Videos ought to preferentially be of non-dustloop members

I don't have time to start with a vid yet, but I'll be back later.

[Grey]

Sounds splendid! But I'm just going leech :D

[vedasisme]

First video entry!

Dogura vs Kazu's Jam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jci3jpnYxYo

Rundown:

- Round 1, Dogura opens with 2k > 2s > 2d.

Kazu blocks the first hit, but fails to block the 2nd, yielding knockdown. This reinforces the idea that delaying 2s after blocked 2k can make for a small frame-trap opportunity.

- 3-hit bazooka oki. Throw attempt is mashed out.

This early in the match, it's doubtful that you would have intimidated your opponent enough to make them continue blocking. However, since this also means that Dogura didn't have to eat a combo. Now that Kazu has a charge he will be risking more if he makes a throw attempt again.

- loses several footsy battles. He is able to gain neutral footing again by FRC'ing srk.

However, he loses another footsy and ends up falling into a Jam wallstick loop.

- Kazu fails the end of his loop, Dogura techs and wins knockdown.

Many Japanese players seem to have mastered teching in a way so that they immediately land. Dogura employs the somewhat-common 2k > command throw mixup. Natural reactions to dropped combos are to become defensive and block, and Dogura uses this assumption to his advantage.

- Dogura gives up oki, footsies resume.

In this case, Dogura wasn't able to act fast enough to close in for a 5p meaty, and Jam had 50% tension, meaning bazooka was unwise. His FD-cancel dash saves him from a wake-up poke.

- Dogura wins advantage + command throw mixup by backdashing.

Kazu's air poke whiffs, and he is forced to block Dogura's counter-poke into horsey. TK missiles lock-down Kazu's air game, and he falls into the command throw. This earns Dogura a safe lvl 3 bazooka oki.

- Kazu SRKs out of Dogura's mix-up, but is too aggressive and gives up round 1.

Dogura attempts the "empty jump into 5k" mixup during bazooka. However, this mixup is vulnerable to reversals, and mashing if timed poorly. Nevertheless, he scores full hit with TK missiles on wake-up, as Kazu is too far away for proper okizeme and attempts to close in with an IAD. Straight into the missiles.

-Round 2, Dogura opens with jumping forward j.p, but is punished with an air combo.

Dogura might have been trying to stuff an overhead opener. Jumping forward j.p is an excellent way to stuff air moves, but Kazu had decided to play this opener passively as well. However, while Kazu won a small combo, Dogura techs and immediately connects robo-dash, punishing a backdash.

- Dogura advances with strong oki strings, drops a ground combo.

After connecting a lvl 3 horsey as okizeme, Dogura's spacing is perfect for another bazooka mix-up. He connects 5k > 5s, but instead of turning it into a combo, he cancels with 2p. This is presumably to bait a burst. This is typical high-level play, and while it sometimes can cost a player a match, the payoff can be a massive psychological advantage.

- Kazu attempts to footsy to gain space, but Dogura connects another combo off lvl 3 horsey.

Despite the failed FRC, Dogura pulls off a beautiful SJ-install combo. He attempts a tech punish with j.p, but they end up back in neutral.

- Dogura backsteps out of a blockstring and connects a flashy ender.

After being pushed into the corner, Dogura evades a frame trap with a backstep. Kazu falls into defensive mode again, and fails to block the dust. Ultimately, Dogura baits the burst with a throw, and the rest is history.

[vedasisme]

Hazune-chan (VE) vs Nezu (RO)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlAN0OmhDAk

Nezu is probably the second best-known robo player out there. He's not as consistent as Dogura, but he pulls out very flashy moves, which makes him worth watching. There are those who think "if I'm gonna win I need to do it with style!" and Nezu is definitely one of those people.

Round 1

- Nezu plays it safe with a block, but dashes into a 2d.

Robo is at a severe disadvantage against Venom when it comes to normals, so he probably did the right thing.

Venom 2k OTGs him to deny him reversal, but...

- Nezu techs into a cross-up airdash into CH j.S.

He is unable to pick up the combo due to spacing.

- Hazune-chan techs and denies Nezu tension by poking with 2S

This move is a bane of robo spacing. It comes out fast and beats pretty much all of robo's ground pokes.

- Venom starts a blockstring, but Nezu slashbacks the 2nd hit of 2D into a srk

This is typical Nezu robo. He's known to slashback when he can, while Dogura tends to use instant block more.

- Nezu attempts to tech punish with 2HS, but whiffs, and Hazune-chan combos him into the corner.

- Hazune-chan applies pressure, Nezu escapes with an air-dash, but fails a cross-up attempt and ends up back in the corner, and loses to Venom's pokes and frame-traps.

Robo needs to be careful about spacing when attempting to counter-poke Venom. In this situation, Nezu might have survived if he had bided his time and attempted another FD jump, though that may have been what he was attempting when he ate Hazune-chan's 5S.

Round 2

- Nezu opens with better spacing, winning knockdown after a backdash.

Unfortunately, 2k>2s does not combo when 2k connects at max range. Nezu manages to backdash and connect the combo again after Hazune-chan flinches. He is now able to apply bazooka pressure.

- Hazune-chan bursts out of Nezu's bazooka mix-up

but Nezu techs and airdashes to connect a CH j.S. He drops the combos after a few hits, however.

- Venom techs into mad-struggle, and wins knockdown. Nezu is pushed into the corner again.

This time, Nezu is able to use FD in such a way that Hazune-chan whiffs dubious curve, and he starts a projectile war. He eats a lot of random hits, but counter-zones effectively with TK missiles.

- Nezu is forced to block Dark Angel and explodes.

Frankly, this is preferable to any combo that would have resulted if he hadn't blocked it. After a few more footsies, Hazune-chan whiffs carcass raid, and dashes at the wrong time, getting hit by 2k into knockdown.

- Nezu applies bazooka pressure, but Hazune-chan dead-angles him back into the corner.

Nezu FD-jumps to avoid Oki, Hazune-chan fails an attempt to air-throw him, and is instead air-thrown himself.

-Nezu applies the VERY SITUATIONAL corner horsie cross-up.

Although he blocks the cross-up, Hazune-chan flinches and gets hit with a CH 5HS FRC. Nezu finishes him off with 5s>2s>5hs FRC>dash>5s

Round 3

- Nezu jumps, but gets combo'd by Venom's 6HS opener combo.

Simply guessing wrong, Nezu probably hoped to gain advantage on Venom, should he have chosen to use 2S as an opener.

- Nezu gold-bursts Hazune into another horsie cross-up, but fails to follow-up, and gets knocked down.

It is reasonable to assume that Nezu's odd twitch meant that he messed up an input. Venom had little tension, and no burst, so it's unlikely he was attempting to bait...

- After a few footsies, Nezu connects a throw mix-up, and FRCs into a lvl 2 missile barrage that dizzies Venom.

This is one of the combos that made Nezu famous. This is not the only video in which he has used it, too. Nezu probably was messing around one day and decided to look for a way to combo into lvl 2 missile barrage on purpose. This is probably the best way.

- Nezu tension-dumps with lvl 3 air-missiles

This is one of Robo's best lock-downs. He spends about 1/4th tension, gains considerable heat, and gets a nice bazooka at the end. However, Nezu doesn't expect Venom to poke out and lays down 2d instead of applying more follow-up pressure. This leads to more footsies.

- Nezu counter-pokes Venom's 5s with fire-horsey.

The timing was great on this hit. The horsey-hit essentially pre-empts Venom's 5s, and the counter hit is deliciously on fire. Nezu secures victory with typical 5HS FRC relaunch.

[ShibuyaX]

Hazune-chan (VE) vs Nezu (RO)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlAN0OmhDAk

Round 1- If the RO player would have used 6p or 5s at begining he would have received first hit.

At 0.14 in video RO player used 5hs and whiffed without any frc and resulted in him getting put in a knockdown.

At 0.19 the RO player tries 2hs to bait opponent tech but opponent teched too low

At 0.29 RO escapes corner and at 0.30 does an IAD using slash but the distance or timing is off resulting in him getting grabbed and back in the corner.

At 0.33 in vid the RO player spams a 5k and this is what really cost him to lose alot of damage.

[vedasisme]

Nezu (RO) vs Jiro (SL)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhSlvqliUJQ

Nezu is definitely evolving as a player. I still feel he has consistency issues, but that's mostly because he only just started playing a whole lot. If he catches up to Dogura in terms of execution, a lot more cool stuff is going to happen.

Round 1:

- Robo whiffs 5p and blocks Slayer's 2HS low.

5p is a safe opener against Slayer, as most moves that out-range it won't hit Robo before recovery. Nezu sticks to this one throughout the match.

- After some spacing and footsies, Robo punishes a dandy with 2k > 2s > 2d

- Robo applies an oki mixup into frame-trap command grab

One of the best-timed frame-traps I've seen yet, would have thrown Slayer out mashing.

- Robo trades 2k with slayer's 2p mash-out, Robo's f.S loses to Slayer 2HS

- Robo doesn't shoryu, his 2k is blocked. Uses 2p as frame trap, combos into horsey and drops a 5HS FRC combo

Jiro is not using meaties this match, fearing shoryus. Nezu uses this to his advantage to escape oki almost for free.

- After more spacing, zones into j.S > 5k > 5s > 2D > 6HS

If Nezu's temperature had been lvl 2, I'm fairly certain it would have been a counter hit. In this situation it might work to exchange 6p for 6hs when temperature is low.

- Attempts to escape zoning pressure with a superjump + air dash + j.D, but Slayer catches him with mappa into a dropped combo

Everyone who fights Slayer eventually tries this. Unless you have good air-to-ground, you will probably fail.

- Robo double-jumps after tech, avoiding Slayer's 2S anti-air, and lands a j.S counter hit that leads into a round-winning combo.

Round 2

- Robo 5p trades with Slayer 5k

- Slayer pushes Robo into the corner and applies high/low mixup into combo.

These combos hurt. The pressure is also awful since proration resets each time you block incorrectly. Players who can block this kind of pressure are rare, and awesome.

- Robo throws Slayer when he dandys too close on oki.

- Robo applies dashing 5k >> 2p > 2k > 2s. Attempts frame-trap with 2k, but is counter-hit by Slayer's 2HS. Match-ending tension-dump combo follows.

Nezu choose his move poorly. During footies, Slayer tends to use moves that will beat 2k. A better gamble would have been horsey, the safer option would have been a backdash.

Round 3:

- Robo trades 5p with Slayer's 5k again. Zoning.

- Robo wins poke game with 6ppp, successfully zones with 2HS

- Robo attempts 2HS spam, is CH and bursts out of combo

Nezu is just that kind of person. This is the kind of stuff that tempts robo players. Immediate j.p would have worked here, as well as running under Slayer before he landed.

- Slayer whiffs dust-break, Robo attempts to punish with 2k > 2s, but is out of range for 2s to combo.

- Robo blocks 2HS, counter-hit's Slayer out of dandy. Whiffs 5p and blocks Slayer's burst, and combos. Attempts to end with missile, but it misses. Zoning.

I'm certain there were better combo options available that could have ended with j.D, which I feel has better spacing afterward.

- Robo whiffs shoryu, Slayer punishes with combo into DoT

Jiro's waiting pays off, but not off oki.

- Robo uses 2k on wakeup, mixup throw FRC into missile loop, not enough tension for dizzy combo, but throws Slayer's tech for the win.

One of my favorite mixups. Nezu has experience with this kind of combo, so I was confident he would win when I saw the FRC.

[M.Song]

I would just like to point out that nezu has been playing at a very high level since #R and his consistency issues are most likely due to his flashy, yet unsafe play style (look at his Bang). As for his execution, its just as good, if not better than dogura's. The flashy combos he does aren't exactly easy to do, especially his instant dizzy corner throw combo.

[vedasisme]

Yeah, I suppose it's hard to criticize Nezu when he can do stuff like that. What comes to mind though is one match where he tried to repeat his double det. mode combo, and dropped it, which pretty much cost him the match.

And I feel like Dogura has more knowledge about matchups than Nezu.